Johnny English Reborn

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Rowan atkinson johnny english knives

Johnny English Reborn – After training with Tibetan monks following a disastrous mission in Mozambique, Johnny English returns to his homeland to investigate a plot to assassinate the Chinese Premiere and is introduced to his new assistant, Colin Tucker. Discovering that there is a mole in MI7 and struggling to move past the events of Mozambique, Johnny faces a mission that not only tests his skills as a spy but also his loyalty to his country, his job and those around him. 

Johnny English Reborn (2011) – Director: Oliver Parker

Is Johnny English Reborn appropriate for kids?

By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31881258

Rating: PG

Running Length: 101 mins

Starring: Rowan Atkinson, Daniel Kaluuya, Dominic West

Genre: Comedy, Action

REVIEW: ‘JOHNNY ENGLISH REBORN’ 

Rowan Atkinson brings his inept secret agent to the screen once again in ‘Johnny English Reborn’, featuring more daft comedy than you could shake a stick with a bladder on top at. Thankfully this time, Johnny is ever-so-slightly more competent so the movie is just that little bit more serious – exactly what’s needed to counter all the silliness. It is a shame that English’s former subordinate, Bough, is not part of the proceedings this time around as he was a big part of what made the first film any good. However this is taken over by Daniel Kaluuya’s inexperienced but eager Tucker who once again proves to be better than English gives him credit for.

The first ‘Johnny English’ suffered from its inability to balance its lack of gravitas with a major crime (the coup to destroy an entire country) so ‘Johnny English Reborn’ being brought down to earth with a decidedly more conceivable assassination plot makes Johnny’s incompetence more plausible. The peril now comes from a mysterious (very Bond-esque) organisation called ‘Vortex’, who inevitably have a mole in MI7 that Johnny inevitably doesn’t suspect until it’s (almost) too late and they are a solid threat without being so evil as to change the tone of the movie.

‘Johnny English Reborn’ gets the balance right this time making it arguably better than its predecessor and although it’s still pretty forgettable, it is a perfectly enjoyable family comedy.

CONTENT: IS JOHNNY ENGLISH REBORN’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

Johnny walks into an office and discovers a cat in it. The cat sits on the outside of a window which Johnny absent-mindedly closes, causing the cat to fall. The office is situated several floors up and Johnny looks on in horror when he realises that there is a wood chipper directly below. As the cat’s owner is unaware of what has happened, Johnny pretends that the cat is still in the room, however another character then walks in holding that cat which is alive and well.

Johnny visits a casino and mistakenly approaches a man, believing him to be his MI7 contact. His actual contact tries to get his attention, however before Johnny sees this character, they are killed by being stabbed with a cocktail umbrella.

An assassin impersonates a cleaner, enabling them to move around unnoticed. She kills one character by shooting them from a distance and turns up several times throughout the movie attempting to kill various characters. In one scene, Johnny is in a dark room and hears a strange whirring noise. He quietly goes to investigate and he sees a vacuum cleaner being pushed by an arm, the rest of the person is hidden behind a wall. The assassin then steps out and tries to kill Johnny with a chainsaw. This is done as a comical parody of a horror set-up, however as this character has already been proven to be dangerous, this suspense and level of threat could be frightening for some kids.

At various stages of the movie, Johnny remembers a mission where he was distracted by a woman. More of this scene is revealed at each stage, the consequences of Johnny’s mistake are only revealed at the end. We see that the woman wears a dress which reveals lots of cleavage, she takes Johnny to a place where they are alone and removes her dress in front of him, revealing a bikini underneath. The pair are then seen in a jacuzzi and while there is some mild flirting, this scene does not become sexual.

Johnny and a fellow agent talk in a restaurant, a waitress asks if they would like dessert to which the agent replies ‘Yes, you,’ and Johnny adds ‘And bring 2 spoons!’, the waitress walks away and the two men laugh together at their joke.

Johnny finds himself drugged with something that will kill him, as it gets closer to the time of his death, there is a countdown and he collapses. Medics try to save him, however after around 30 seconds, a flatline tone is heard. There are another few seconds of other characters still trying to help before events change.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?
VERDICT: IS ‘JOHNNY ENGLISH REBORN’ FOR KIDS?

Fun but forgettable, ‘Johnny English Reborn’ strikes the balance of comedy, a decent plot and good acting with aplomb. Due to some scenes that could be scary for younger viewers, we recommend this movie as suitable for kids aged 6 and over.

  • Violence: 2/5
  • Emotional Distress: 1/5
  • Fear Factor: 2/5
  • Sexual Content: 1/5
  • Bad Language: 1/5
  • Dialogue: 1/5
  • Other Notes: Deals with themes of espionage, treason, loyalty, betrayal, trust, incompetence, assassination and regret.

Words by Laura Record

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